Canadians cool on Harper, but will they be hot for Trudeau?

It was nearly two years ago that the Conservatives led by Stephen Harper shocked pundits, pollsters and more than a few voters by winning a majority government.

The process didn’t happen by chance. Ground level campaigns focusing on neighbourhoods within targeted ridings bore fruit, got the vote out and the final surge that pushed the Tories over the top didn’t come from the West but from suburban Toronto.

But victory doesn’t seem to have done much to change Canadians’ attitudes toward Harper or his party. A national survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid for Postmedia News and Global Television finds that two thirds of Canadians feel the present government is too secretive and has failed to govern with high ethical standards. The poll also finds that after seven years in office, half of the country still believes that Harper has a “hidden agenda.”

What’s happening here? Has the pendulum that swept the Tories into power swinging back? Are the survey’s findings an echo of a desire for political change that sees Canadians not so much vote in governments but vote to toss them out? And is Justin Trudeau, heir apparent to the Liberal Party of Canada, a factor in this apparent dissatisfaction? We asked those questions to political scientist Bruce Hicks of Carleton University. Click on the grey icon below to hear what he had to say. And remember, you can listen to all of our podcasts at montrealgazette.com/montreal@themoment on iTunes and follow us on Facebook.

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